F E A R
by goddess on earth
Summary: IYYYH Trapped within a curse, how will they escape with their lives, if they do at all. So when they get 'visits' from the cursed what will they do in order to survive? Why are there even cursed? Remember, things are never truely as they appear... KagKur
1. Beware

"Mama, do we have to go?" Kagome asked barely above a whisper as she undecidedly packed her luggage, trying to stuff more clothes than necessary into it. She sadly looked around her room until her gaze found itself on a small glass vial containing little shards radiating power from what used to be a powerful jewel.

Huffing, her mother gave one final push on the suitcase as she closed it before turning towards her daughter and gently said "Now Kagome, I believe it is about time we visit your grandmother, we don't know how long she will last now a days. As much as I'm not particularly fond of my mother-in-law, I do believe we owe her as much… Besides honey, it has been five months already, I don't believe the honekui well will let you pass any other day more than it did for you yesterday." Kagome winced slightly as she subconsciously rubbed her bandaged leg.

"Well, I know, it's just that if it does work then Inuyasha would want me to come…" Tears began welling up in her eyes as she looked down at her fidgeting hands in her lap as she unceremoniously plopped down on her bed, sighing as she went. "I find it ironic to know that I used to be craving a normal life without having Inuyasha hounding me to find the jewel shards. Now that I can't go back for some reason, I miss searching for the shards, I miss my friends… I miss Sengoku Jidai…"

Hesitantly sitting down on the bed besides her daughter and brought her into her lap. Looking down helplessly at the silently crying girl in her arms, Kun-Loon said, "Oh dear, I never wanted it to end like this. Kagome, as much as it might hurt, you must move on. You can't wallow in self-pity like this forever; you need to let them go… You're a beautiful 16 year old girl; you should be doing fun things with your friends in this beautiful summer weather instead of staying in this house all day. That's another reason as to why we should go, visiting your grandmother might help take your mind off a few things."

Slowly getting up Kun-Loon lightly stroked her daughter's cheek in a loving caress, wiping away the traces of tears with her thumb as she looked her daughter straight in the eye and softly said, "Now Kagome dear, I'm going to check on Souta and Jii-san. I want you to finish packing and remember no more tears, okay?" Smiling slightly she let her hand drop from its position on Kagome's cheek as she exited the room to make sure everything else was set.

Sighing, Kagome slowly leaned back onto her bed as she stared up at the ceiling while twiddling her thumbs._'What can it hurt? I mean it's only three weeks, it's nothing compared to how long I stood in the feudal era. Besides, mama's right. I really do need to move on again…' _

* * *

"Hey Old Hag, long time no see." Yusuke shouted as he and the others –meaning Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei, although the later was in the trees- climbed the last steps. He smirked as the shoji door opened, revealing an irritated old woman. "What do you want dimwit?" 

Walking forward slightly, Yusuke mockingly frowned and said, "What? Can't I visit you for any reason other than wanting to see you?"

Genkai's scowl increased as she raised one of her eyebrows at the toushin, "No." was her simple answer before she turned to the others saying, "You may as well come in than just standing there stupidly at the top of the steps." Turning around and heading back into the room while the guys just looked between themselves with hidden mirth in their eyes that Genkai still had her spirit even as she was getting older.

Once inside the boys looked between each other and then Kurama began, "So master Genkai, how have you been doing lately?" Gracefully bringing the tea cup to her mouth before drinking slowly, Genkai then put the cup back down on the ground with her eyes closed as she asked "So that's why, you're afraid I'm going to die any minute on you aren't you? Well I still have a few more years on these old bones so you don't need to come all the way over here to check on me, Yukina's here remember? Which reminds me, my daughter-in-law and grandchildren are coming here later today and I don't need any questions as to why there are bursts of light tearing down the forest."

"You have a daughter-in-law and grandchildren Genkai-san?" Kurama asked unbelievingly yet curiously as he too sipped some of the tea Yukina made. Genkai turned her gaze back to him and said annoyed "Isn't that what I just said?"

"Wait, you never told us? How old are they?" Kuwabara asked as Genkai said, "My eldest is about your age, maybe a year or so younger, and the other is roughly nine or ten." Yusuke then snorted, saying "Yeah well I bet you I can kick his butt when he comes." Genkai merely smirked at Yusuke's misunderstanding.

As Kuwabara left in search for Yukina –with Hiei probably discreetly following, obviously not trusting 'the buffoon' as he dubbed him-, Kurama and Yusuke started walking around the shrine, talking as they went before Kurama stopped for a moment and looked out of the corner of his eye at the forest surrounding them. "Yusuke, have you by chance noticed the weird energy levels coming from the forest in the direction of Shikoku?" Yusuke then turned his head and said, "Yeah, I have. You think we should check it out or something, Kurama?"

"Maybe, but first we should probably just monitor it for a bit. It might just be temporarily." Yusuke nodded before continuing walking; there was a momentary silence before Yusuke absentmindedly said, "Hey Kurama… How long do you think she will last?" Kurama, perfectly knowing who 'she' is, looked up at the sky with his hands in his pockets as he said, "Well, you can never be too sure Yusuke, Genkai is a very strong woman and with her stubborn personality we can only hope for the best."

"Yeah but _how long_ is it? _How long_ do we have until she's _gone_?!" Yusuke anxious whispering gradually turned into yelling as he punched a hole in one of the closest trees, to which Kurama frowned upon.

"Yusuke, it is not worth it to constantly spend moments being miserable worrying about 'how long' instead of treasuring the moments now and then feeling miserable after." Kurama wisely advised as Yusuke curtly nodded, obviously still distressed. "Yeah, what the hell am I doing worrying about that old bat… You know, I can't wait to beat the shit out of her grandson, if he's about our age then the she must've trained him by now."

* * *

"Come on Souta! It's easy, we're already half way up!" Kagome yelled as she encouraged her brother whom was lagging behind, panting as he tried to climb all of those steps while carrying his and her luggage. "Yeah, it's easier said than done! You aren't even carrying anything, why can't you carry your own luggage!?" Souta yelled from his position of ten or so steps below his sister as he slowly took one step at a time. 

"Well, for one, you're the guy; you need experience for when you have to carry some girl's books for her. Two, since you must want to make obaa-san proud that you carried it all the way up, right? So actually, you should be thanking me." Souta merely groaned in response as he took another step before looking up to see the next seventy or so that he had left. Whining, Souta trudged along with Kagome snickering at misfortune as she practically ran up the rest of the stairs.

Looking back down, Kagome saw Souta still struggling with the last ten or so steps before she turned around and started wandering around her grandmother's shrine. After five or so minutes, Kagome decided she better go inside so she turned on her heel to suddenly bang into a hard chest. Looking up she saw honey brown eyes looking down at her with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. "Who are you and what are you doing here, this is private property." The brown eyed boy with his gelled up hair asked as she turned her head to see another boy with vivid forest green eyes along with long crimson hair staring at her… How could she not have sensed them? These boys felt… different… Their presence was a bit overwhelming at first, putting you on the edge, before you started to get use to it slowly.

"What do you mean 'what am I doing here'? This is my grandmother's shrine; I believe I have a right to be here. Who are _you_?" Kagome, still feeling uneasy from their powers answered annoyingly. The boy with red hair then turned towards her and said, "I'm sorry miss, we seemed to have had a misunderstanding. My friend Yusuke here, is a bit rude to people he doesn't know. I am Shuichi by the way; we are merely visiting Genkai-san. It is a pleasure to meet her granddaughter, miss…" Kurama trailed off in the usual gentlemanly way, waiting for her to introduce herself.

"My name is Kagome, and as I already told you I'm her granddaughter. Sorry to leave you guys like this but I'm going to go inside." Kagome then left the two boys outside as Yusuke mumbled under his breathe, "Well so much for kicking 'his' butt… The girl is probably too fragile, she probably wasn't even trained if she couldn't sense us; Genkai would kick **my** butt if I lay a hand on her…" Kurama of course look amused at his friend's ramblings as he looked back at the girl who was walking farther and farther away from them before opening the shoji door and stepping back for a second as if in shock prior to slipping away from view.

* * *

When Kagome opened the door she instantly felt a portion of her grandmother's power, it was as if opening the door and heading out into a snowing day from the nice warmth of the indoors. Looking towards her grandmother –whom was also staring into her eyes with slight suspicion- Kagome, began wondering how she didn't notice it before. But then again, she hadn't seen her grandmother since a year or two before her travels. She hadn't harnessed her bare minimum of miko energy yet, even though she wasn't the strongest miko, -let alone a good one in her opinion- she was able to at least sense youki along with inhumanly ki. And her grandmother was radiating a lot of it. 

"Is there something wrong Kagome?" Genkai asked as she stared intently into Kagome's eyes. Kagome was the first to break free from the trance as she looked away slightly before returning her gaze to her grandmother whom was still staring intently at her which unnerved her a bit. "Um, no, why do you ask obaa-san?" Genkai just looked at her skeptically before returning her gaze towards her daughter-in-law. "Kun-Loon, I trust you had a safe journey here."

Kun-Loon merely looked at Genkai tensely before forcibly saying, "Why yes, we did, there is no need to worry." Genkai then grouchily said, "Good, because I wasn't."

Kagome had noticed the tension before between the two but now it seemed absolutely unbearable, so she said, "Obaa-san, mama, how about I make us some tea." So as she got up and left the room she instantly felt relieved at the decrease in tension and made her way to the kitchen.

* * *

Once she had finished with the 'soothing' –she had added some calming herbs into it- tea, she placed several cups onto the tray and as she was making her way back to the room she stumbled upon a blue haired girl with red eyes listening to a tall red head with thin brown eyes. They seemed to be kind enough so she walked towards them and said "Hello, would you like some tea? By the way, I'm Kagome, Genkai-san's granddaughter." 

Yukina looked absolutely delighted that she was finally able to meet another girl her age –or at least in appearances since Yukina being a youkai was far older than her- at the temple besides Keiko, Botan and Shizuru every now and then. "Hello Kagome-san, and why yes, I'd love to have some tea and I'm sure Kazuma would also. Right, Kazuma?" Kagome smiled as the boy whom seemed to be around her age grinned and said, "Why yes Yukina, I want whatever you want!" so as she was about to pour Yukina and Kazuma some tea she suddenly remembered, "Oh my! I'm sorry; I can't give you some of this tea. I had forgotten that I had added some sedatives into the tea. You see, my mama and obaa don't get along very well, so… I decided there was enough tension and I may as well try something. Well, you're free to have but warning you not to drink much if you don't want to fall asleep." Kagome prattled hastily as the youkai within the tree said, "Onna, we don't need to hear you nonsense babble, just go back to the old woman already."

Kagome was about to say something witty back in response when the boy 'Kazuma' stepped up and said, "Hiei, don't talk to a woman disrespectfully! Honor the code!" He was about to say more before Yukina lightly squeezed his hand, silently asking for him to stop. "Of course Yukina, I would do anything for you." To which Yukina giggled lightly and Hiei tried to glare holes through Kuwabara's head.

Silently slipping out of area, Kagome then returned to the room in which not only were her mother and grandmother in but also the two boys she met earlier so she said, "Here's the tea." First handing out to her obaa and okaa as a sign of respect, she then handed the red head, Shuichi, and 'gel-boy', Yusuke, a cup, silently warning them of the contents of the drink with body signals. Once she had handed one cup to each person and they drank, well some faked, and as soon as they knew it, the two older women were out cold. "Now, why-" Yusuke was cut off in his question when suddenly a vast amount of youki was released accompanied by a piercing scream which echoed throughout the forest…

The trio ran outside not only did they notice that it was getting dark not only from the hour of the day but also the lazy forbidding storm clouds hovered above, thunder and lightning came about every now and then as the wind steadily began to pick up, softly howling in their ears. They also noticed that they weren't alone for Yukina, Kuwabara and Hiei were outside as well, but what they saw next had disturbed them thoughly. One the ground which was written in blood, fresh blood to be exact.

**'Beware'**

They could have sworn they heard someone within the wind whisper it as well as the storm's effects were starting to be known as the rain was pouring down in buckets. Yet still they stood as if rooted to the ground, watching as the anonymous warning slowly washed away as it sunk into the cold ground. Appearing as if it was never truly there... or was it?

* * *

How do you like it so far? Not much horror yet but its coming! (hopefully) And please keep in mind this is my first attempt at horror or suspense but well im trying. I also know that yes, i have a bunch of other stories out and no im not discontinuing them. Anyways, any reviews please? Tell me your opinion so far! 


	2. Missing

Just standing there for another minute or two, the group soon looked at each other as if in questioning whether or not they just saw something of their imagination or if it actually real… The reikai team were currently in defensive positions as if something was about to jump out of the bushes any second now, knowing that even if they let their guard down for a second it could cause lethal damage. Yukina and Kagome of course stepped beside each other, as if trying to seek comfort from the other non-fighter when Kagome asked, "Did you guys… just see what I think I saw…?" _'Beware, for the curse has begun…'_ The wind seemed to howl in response.

However, silence was her only answer from everyone as they just stood there on alert, knowing that anything could happen when suddenly Kagome jumped, finally it dawned on her, she realized something, "Oh my god, where's Souta?" Hastily looking around in all directions before turning around to go inside once again before anyone could stop her but a newly raised barrier did however. It appeared as if it was just erected for now there was a dark purple, almost sickly black veil covering the temple and all of its buildings inside of it, including whoever was still inside of it.

"Stupid barrier let me in! Souta! Mama! Obaa!" Kagome yelled before turning back to her companions whom were still glancing around trying to detect their situation. "Kagome-san, please stop, we need to find a way to break the barrier." Yukina gently reminded her as she lightly tugged on her arm. "No but I have to make sure they're okay! What if there was miasma or poison radiating from the barrier in there?!"

Meanwhile the two girls were talking, more like Yukina trying to reason with a nearly hysterical Kagome who was feeling a strong wave of déjà vu at the moment, Kurama turned to Yusuke and said, "Yusuke, we need to find out who is behind this, but first we need to calm Kagome down. Imagine what will happen if an innocent knows about youkai, have Yukina help you with that."

As soon as that was said, Kurama then turned to Kuwabara saying "Kuwabara, I need you to also help Yukina and try to sense what made the barrier and what it is created out of since it doesn't appear to be your average everyday barrier."

Finally, Kurama looked towards Hiei who seemed highly irritable at the moment if his scowl and narrowed eyes were anything to go by so Kurama cautiously said, "Hiei, can you please check the surrounding area for anyone or anything other than ourselves? If you do find something then please tell us."

So in the meantime while everyone did what was assigned to them Kurama then went and looked over at their progress… It seemed Yusuke wasn't having much luck however, "No! They could be hurt!"

"Just calm down then!"

"What good will that do me? They are unconscious and helpless in there and whatever made the barrier might be in there as well and you want me to calm down? You jer-"

A painful moan was heard in the wind as it became silent other then that. The moaning gradually became louder and louder while they looked around everywhere, nothing was in sight. That is until they let their eyes travel to a critically maimed little boy, appearing about 9 or so, standing at the top of the stairs, looking at them with dull brown monotonous eyes.

"SOUTA!" Kagome began running at him at full speed and right before she hugged him the image changed to that of a pale little girl about eleven or so with fatally bloody cuts on her body, some how it didn't stain the pure white kimono she adorned. Her hair was very raggedy, covering the majority of her face, only showing her eyes as its darkest of black length surpassed her limply dangling hands all the way down to her knees –or rather where her knees appeared to be anyways-… although her eyes looked to be the same dull stare which "Souta" had previously. The young girl's eyes trailed over Kagome's form before it traveled up to her blue eyes which it never left after that as Kagome yelled, "What did you do to Souta?"

The girl slowly opened her mouth and then continued her pitiful moaning and then soon it became so horrendous that they had to cover their ears and on instinct they squeezed their eyelids tight as if in pain while they sunk to the ground before suddenly the horrendous sound stopped as quickly as it came.

Hastily looking up they say that the creature was gone and no where in sight but that wasn't the last of their worries, cause so was Kagome…

"Shit! Now we have to find the girl before the toddler hears of this. What the hell was that thing anyway?" Yusuke grumbled as he and Kurama bent down to look for clues while Hiei scanned the area with his jagan. "Something's blocking my jagan. My best bet is the creature." The sarcasm was undeniable as he slowly walked up to the spot where the two were last seen, looking down at the spot rather arrogantly and supposedly uninterestedly.

"Kuzuma! What will we do? We need to figure out what is happening, especially where Kagome-san is!" Yukina whispered frantically as Kuwabara patted her back in a soothing manner –oblivious to Hiei's death glare- before proudly saying, "Don't worry Yukina my love, the great Kuwabara Kazuma will fix this problem in no time!"

Before Hiei could say a smart ass reply to that Kurama spoke up saying, "Apparently the girl was not human, most likely a spirit rather than youkai, however, it is still a possibility that she or another acquainted with her might be. We still need to dissect the situation with other various questions such as where she took Kagome, why she took her, and if the girl was somehow associated with the barrier which we must also find out how to breach, along with where the her brother went and many other questions which we have yet to factor upon how they fit in this puzzle."

"So basically you're saying we got a shit load of work to do, right?" Yusuke asked the unanswered question as Kurama merely gave him a small grim smile before saying, "Yes, and we must work quickly, we don't know what will happen if we take too much time."

Standing up from his squatting position on the floor Yusuke then turned to Kuwabara "Oi, Kuwabara! Can you call the toddler, I left mine at home."

* * *

"Where am I….?" A dizzy Kagome voiced her question as she looked around at her surroundings. Apparently, she was in someone's bedroom, the main color a deep blue with some sort of a picture of a cheerful little girl playing in the fields on the wall and various other average objects you would place in bedroom such as a dresser or mirror were scattered along everywhere.

Slowly getting up, Kagome further took in her surrounding area, such as the fact that the room also appeared to not have been used lately for there was a small layer of dust on the majority of objects. Or the fact that she just had this eerie feeling about this room. Something was not right. However, not being one to just stand around, Kagome decided she wouldn't just stay in the weird room and traveled outside into the dimly lighted hallway… The main source of light seemed to be some sort of floating spheres of light, however Kagome didn't seem to notice as she continued in her walk.

Although, it seemed that the halls were dusty with cobwebs either way also, but at the end of the hall was a slightly ajar door. And coming from the party opened door was a blinding light. Curiosity getting the best of her, she slowly crept down the hall towards the light which beaconed her as a bee to a flower.

Upon reaching the door she slowly looked inside and found that it appeared to be some sort of little girl's room if the pink wallpaper and stuff animals were anything to go by, not to be stereotypical of course. So feeling brave she entered the room and started looking around when she felt some sort of weird vibe… Wrenching her inner gut, practically screaming at her to get out of the room, it almost to the point of being pai-

Suddenly a loud creaking noise was heard and as she turned her head she saw what appeared to be the little girl from earlier in the white kimono was standing there in the doorway just looking at her while she was twitching almost uncontrollably, her feet it seemed were not touching the ground however… and her hair seemed a bit more raggedy as it looked like it kept growing, her eyes no longer had a dull tone but a hungry maniacal gleam and all the while Kagome was taking note of any differences the girl may have had. Whether it be her imagination or not, she thought she heard the girl softly say, "Hello … Kagome."

* * *

Slowly getting up from her twisted position on the floor, Kun-Loon looked around and her eyes landed on Genkai who was also just getting up. "What happened?" Genkai looked at her daughter-in-law grumpily and said, "Apparently, something other than tea was placed in our cups."

"Now, were also stuck in here… Someone placed a barrier, either keeping us in or them out for some reason." Kun-Loon rubbed her head as she felt a head-ache come upon her, Kagome was so dead when she finds her... Oh the irony...

* * *

A piercing scream was heard as the group still left at the shrine heard it nice and clear as they darted towards the area –Yukina was on Hiei's back- dashing through the forest, weaving in and out through the trees as they came upon an old house which seemed to have been deserted years ago. But apparently since the scream was obviously female and it was most likely Kagome, an innocent who knows nothing about youkai –and Genkai's granddaughter (she would kill them if they let her get hurt) - they darted inside though the halls, ignoring the feeling in the bottom of their gut as they opened all of the doors, looking for anything that might help them find her or figure out this mystery.

Finally, when they came upon a door at the end of the hall they found Kagome… However, the sight was not one they were wanting or expecting to see…


	3. Victim

The team's eyes widened slightly as they saw the scene before them. While they were glad to see that she wasn't physically hurt, however they couldn't say that they were pleased with the scene before them. There in front of them was Kagome only she was being almost literally hugged to death by the strange pale girl in the white kimono. However, they noticed that not only was Kagome struggling against her, but she was looking sicklier and paler by the second, while the girl was seemingly stronger in her hold against her. Her energy was rising rapidly for she even appeared even creepier for her hair was even ragedier and flowing in an invisble wind, her face twisted with agony, her feet weren't even touching the ground...

So as they tried to get save her they hit against yet another barrier, preventing them from reaching them. It was also most likely that the barrier formed around the shrine was made by the same little girl in front of them. "Let me ...go…" Kagome weakly protested against the little girl as strongly as she could, but it was rather impossible for her energy was draining from her more with every second that passed.

Finally, after what felt like minutes, the little girl let go of Kagome whom instantly fell down to the ground in exhaustion, no longer being able to hold herself up, as a little white sphere of light came from Kagome and went into the little girl whom disappeared a second after along with the barrier.

Running to her side, Yukina, being the only one with healing abilities -if you don't include Kurama's plants-, tried to see what was wrong with her as Kurama checked her pulse. Yusuke and Kuwabara of course were looking around the room for clues while Hiei said, "My jagan is not able to sense the girl but I know she isn't very far." Yusuke merely glanced at Hiei for a minute before looking back out the window at the clear and calm lake with the moonlight reflecting upon it… There was just something weird about it but he couldn't tell just what… It just felt_ too_ calm… "Her pulse is at a slow pace even for someone who is unconscious but not critical enough to be considered heavily about." Kurama spoke up as he looked worriedly down at Kagome.

"Yes, it seems as if Kagome-san has merely fainted. She isn't physically hurt but I still wonder if there is something else wrong with her. What was that white ball of light that came out of her?" Yukina asked as she looked around for someone to answer her question. "Well, I believe that ball was part of her soul… It mustn't have been the whole piece or else she would have died… but it was large enough to drain her of quite a bit energy which means that we must hurry and retrieve it. If such a piece is separated from her body for too long, I'm afraid her body will no longer be able to house it." Kurama gently answered Yukina's question to which she started to tear up. "No! But she doesn't even know about yokai and she's so nice…"

"Please don't cry my lovely Yukina! The great Kuwabara Kazuma will do anything for you if you don't cry!" Kuwabara practically shouted as he grabbed her hands in his as he looked sadly at Yukina who was trying to contain her sniffles. Hiei on the other hand was glaring at the protruding hand as his grip on his katana tightened immensely.

"Wait, so Kurama," Yusuke began as he switched his gaze from the lake to his red headed friend. "You're saying that it was similar to how I died before except she's still living?"

"Precisely, except we must find where the girl has the soul, since she herself is not a ferry girl, then she cannot hold the soul directly without consuming it, but if she was going to, she would have done it when she had the chance when she took it from Kagome-san's body. Meaning that she has no other place to put it than in an object or something of that sort." Kurama walked around the child's room and picked up a random stuffed animal and said, "Even this stuffed animal I hold right here could harbor it. The only way we would know was if we put it close enough to her body," He then demonstrated by placing the toy dog on her body to which nothing happened, "and then see if the soul goes back into her body. The soul itself as a piece does not have enough of its whole to make it's own decisions so it tries to join with the whole again but it needs the guidance."

"So if we find the object and if it has the soul then she'll be okay?" Kuwabara asked a bit skeptically as he wanted to believe it but it seemed much too easy.

"Yes, and since it's only a piece she will have longer span of time than Yusuke because he actually died. I would say we have roughly seventy-two hours at the most before it's too late."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's start before pacifier-breath charges us with murder." Yusuke grumbled as they split up, each searching for any ordinary overlooked item which could save her.

* * *

"How do we break the barrier?" Kun-Loon asked Genkai who was sitting on the floor with her eyes closed as she repeated several signs with her hands. "With concentration, something I don't have at the moment if you keep blabbering away." Kun-Loon replied with a snap, "Well excuse me if I'm just trying to help!" 

Genkai merely rolled her eyes at her daughter-in-law's antics before trying to concentrate again… Something didn't feel right however…there was something off… Wait a minute, she couldn't feel anyone's ki from outside, but there was something else as well. She just couldn't put her finger on it.

Suddenly, a large blast of energy was felt from outside, shaking the entire barrier and those within it. "What's that?!" Kun-Loon asked on the verge of being hysterical.

* * *

"It's got to be here somewhere…" Kurama mumbled under his breath as he checked everywhere high and low, from under the bed to inside the closet… They couldn't find it and her lifespan was running out of time with every second that past. "Kurama, how much time do we have now?" Yusuke asked while scratching the back of his head, trying to figure out here he hadn't checked yet. 

"Well, about 68 hours but keep in mind that it is only a rough estimate, it may be much shorter than what I anticipate." Kurama replied grimly. "Knowing how weak she is, probably less." Hiei spoke up as he crossed his arms as he had his usual scowl on his face as he turned to where Yukina was trying to make Kagome as comfortable as possible. Yukina… so selfless, always worrying about others before herself.

"Hey guys, I don't think there is anything else in here that we didn't look already, I'm going to check the other rooms." Kuwabara said as he left, as well with Kurama and Hiei following behind him. Yusuke stayed back in the room with Yukina and Kagome as he kneeled down to their level when he said, "You know Yukina, we should go to the other rooms with them. There isn't anything else in this one we haven't checked. You wouldn't want that freaky girl to come back when its only you and her now would you?"

Yukina of course merely nodded meekly as Yusuke gently picked up Kagome while the two continued into the hall with the eerie balls of light floating in midair their only source of light. Turning into the nearest room they saw it was yet another bedroom yet this pone seemed a bit more mature with it's deep blue walls or the lack of stuffed animals, either way the rest of the gang was in here too. Placing Kagome down gently on the bed, leaving her in Yukina's care once again, he then said, "I'll be back, I'm going to check and see if the barrier is still around the temple. The hag must have gotten up by now."

After seeing everyone else nod, he then left without a hesitation as he sped to the temple grounds, roughly about a couple miles away.

Once he was getting close he could still see the sickeningly purplish black veil covering the temple, Genkai was most likely going to be pretty grumpy when she got out…

So as soon as he got to the top step he ran towards the building, shooting his attack with a cry of "Reigan!" as a blast of blue energy collided with the purple barrier. However, the barrier didn't seem as though it was harmed in the slightest, the only sign of it ever being hit was the handful of trees in the way that were blown apart… And also the fact that Genkai and that other woman came outside of the building yet still trapped inside the barrier.

* * *

"What does that dimwit think he's doing?" Genkai mumbled under her breath as she and Kun-Loon came outside and the closest they could be to the barrier without being electrocuted. Yusuke on the other side looked like he was yelling something, as if it was important however they couldn't hear a single word of it. And no, it was not because he was talking fast but because they couldn't hear anything that was outside of the barrier. "I guess since he actually looks serious they didn't put up the barrier, however, it seems he does not also get the fact that neither can hear what is happening on the other side…"

* * *

"Oi! Old hag, we need your help with this. Some girl yokai or spirit or whatever the hell she is has taken your grandkid's soul. We need to find it soon and we also can't contact Koenma, there's something interfering with our communicators, they won't even work." Yusuke was practically shouting but little did he know that neither he nor she could hear each other. 

"Fine, you know what? I'll figure this out myself!" Yusuke then ran back towards the house once again and practically tearing down the forest. As soon as he got upstairs to the room where they were last in he quickly noticed the somber mood. So as he made his entrance known their heads turned and Kurama said, "Yusuke, we have an even bigger problem than we thought. Apparently, this boy, I believe he's Kagome's brother, Souta, has had the majority of his soul taken as well…" Yusuke than looked over Hiei shoulder at the young boy lying on the bed next to his sister, his form battered and bruised, clothing slightly torn here and there, and also for some reason his eyes were open and staring blankly at the ceiling, face twisted in horror… "He's not… dead, right?" Yusuke asked hesitantly as his eyes looked over the boy and his injuries. Hiei then spoke up saying "Not yet, but soon…" Yukina whimpered slightly as she stroked the boys hair, and then shut his eyes gently with her hands as Kuwabara rubbed her back in a comforting manner. Kurama of course clarified by saying "We just found him in another room, he feels a bit colder and his pulse is slower than Kagome's. However, the part of his soul was taken was most likely before Kagome's, I would say about five or so hours. Plus, he is much younger and still developing more so than Kagome, meaning he has a smaller soul to take from. Basically, we need to find his soul as well and quickly before it's too late…"

* * *

AN Okay, I know, still not horror-ness and still a bit slow, but please be patient! Oh and if you have any questions feel free to ask me, I'll post them up in the next update as long as it doesn't give away the plot (Yes, Im actually writing the plot out for once if you dont count Things we may never have). Anyways please review okay? Oh and I also suggest you read "From wishes to eternity" by Zerbinetta. Its a very good story in my opinion and its highly unrecognized. Btw, its a Yoko/Kagome pairing and slight AU on Kagome's part with Canon hints, but yes Its very good with close to no OOC-ness (especially Yoko, he's not a perverted fool with only sex on the mind in this story) and yea it already has over 88,000+ words yet still fewer reviews than it should. So go read it: 


	4. Blood

_'How-how did I get here?' A soft and hesitant voice asked the eternal darkness, startling Kagome for a minute before she realized that… it was her own voice that was speaking. But how could that be? She had not once moved her lips to utter a sound nor did she recall having such a thought being so distracted by some unknown force. Oh well, not being one to dawdle on a topic too long Kagome looked around at her surroundings, however there was just one problem… There was nothing, she was trapped in pitch black shadows with no hopes of escaping as far as she knew._

_'What will I do now?' There it went again!… This place was weird, not only could she not speak while her thoughts were voiced instead, but there was also nothing around her, almost as if she was in an abyss. 'I just wish I knew why I am here…' Almost as if on cue, everything around her lit up showing her the pink room she was in earlier, however, she noticed, there was a slight difference. For one, the room had a happier –more like happy period- gleam to it, and two, a little girl about the age of seven was sitting on the bed humming as she brushed her doll's long wavy black as night hair and smoothed out the fraying edges of it's white haori and red hakama… _

_The girl… she looked so adorable here along with that face filled with glee, the ideal picture of childish innocence. "Mommy, mommy! Doesn't she look pretty?" The little girl asked breathlessly as she held the doll up for the woman that came through the door; however the woman's face couldn't be seen. "Yes dear, she looks beautiful." A calm voice flooded the area as the woman picked up the girl into her arms as she said "Now, how about we go to the lake?" Squealing excitedly the girl bounced up and down before saying "I'll be ready in a minute, just let me get Mr. Cuddles!" Kagome watched as the little girl diverted her attention from her doll and seemed to look for this "Mr. Cuddles". However, one thing she noticed was that this must be some dream or memory or something because when she tried to sit down, her body went through the chair!_

_So as the mother of the girl had left the room and her footsteps were getting softer and softer the little girl turned around and looked at Kagome straight in the eye while maintaining a serious deadpan voice saying "Hello Kagome, it's a surprise seeing you here. Don't worry; we can have lots of fun together…" Wait, if this was truly a memory or something how can that girl see her? That would be defying the laws of reality because she wasn't there during the time this took place. It was then that Kagome realized the little girl in front of her was the same as the one whom had tried to kill her as the girl began to look as she had before with her long raggedy hair and limply hanging wrists. Slowly stepping forward to her, the room started taking a turn for the worse as the illusion it once held faded. _

_Dust flooded the room once again, the windows dirty as well, the closet mirror door shattered as if someone or something had been smashed against it, floor boards creaking underneath the girl's feather light step, and puddles of deep crimson blood stained the floor. As Kagome stumbled back falling into one of the puddles, which had splattered her with blood covering her clothes, legs, hands and several splotches on her face -basically everywhere-, half of which was someone else's and the other half was hers as she cried out in pain when her hand was deeply stabbed with a plane of shattered glass from the aforementioned shattered mirror._

_Heart beating faster and faster as the little girl slowly transformed into the deathly pale and sinister one whom she had encountered before. One step at a time, the girl didn't seem to be in much of a hurry, instead perfering to take joy in her prey's fear as would any sadistic predator. Floor boards creeking under her step, a thunderstorm seemed to be brewing, the rain pounding and hammering against the window. A bolt of lightning accompanied by a deafening roar of thunder as the wind seemed to howl and holler louder and louder; the sky getting darker and gloomier leaving the room lightened only by the strange floating balls of light hovering around the girl._

_"No…" Kagome whispered as she softly panted in anxiety as the girl came closer and closer to her. Her heart beating faster and faster, Kagome absently wondering if it would burst out of her chest. The girl was several feet away from her now and reaching her limply hanging wrists towards her, her eyes seemed to be dull yet with a blood-lust shimmer. Leaving Kagome feeling immobilized whether from fear or if it was the works of the girl in front of her, she didn't know and at the moment she didn't quite care. "No… no-p-please! Get away from me! No!!!" A piercing scream tore through the thickening silence of the so called peaceful forest._

* * *

Not only was he utterly confused and worried but also frightened by what was happening, wondering if there was anything he could do. Kagome was merely tossing and turning at first, but then her movements became more violent but that wasn't all, blood somehow began staining her clothing, from where he had no idea, she had no sign of a wound besides the gash –which he had no idea where it came from or how it suddenly appeared- on her palm. But how could that cut spread through and cover her entire body in splotches of blood? It couldn't, how did he know? Simple, his sensitive nose had told him so, the only blood that was hers was that which was covering her right arm. However, the question still remained… "Everyone! Come inside quickly!" Kurama shouted as he tried to re-examine the situation once again. 

"What did you call us for K- Shit." Yusuke started to ask before his question died on his lips as he got a look at Kagome's situation. "What happened to her?" Yukina's frantic question pierced the air as she darted towards Kagome, kneeling besides the bed, trying to examine the girl's condition.

Suddenly, Kagome stopped in her movements, now as stiff as a board as she lay on top of the bed with the red from the blood blending in with the dark and bold pink color of the sheets. Something was wrong however, why did she all of sudden unexpectedly stop? Although, even though she stopped moving her breathing was becoming shorter and more labored, just as if she were panting. "What's wrong with her Kurama?" Kuwabara spoke up as he looked worriedly at the girl that he, along with the others, barely knew and wondered what he could do.

Hiei merely looked between Kagome and Souta with a look of disinterest before saying "Kurama, I thought you said the boy would be in a worse condition than the girl." Hiei stated more than questioned everyone turned to Kurama waiting for his answer. "I had thought so, but apparently something else is happening that I haven't predicted, unfortunately I have yet to figure out what it is…"

"She doesn't look too good Kurama." Yusuke reminded him while Yukina tried to clean up the blood on Kagome but to no avail as it either wouldn't come of very easily or more would just take it's place. So Kurama merely looked at the girl hesitantly before saying "If this isn't contained there is no question as to if she will die within the next couple hours. Unfortunately, I only know of one way in which to save her temporarily…" Hiei's head shot towards Kurama the minute he suggested such a thing, so he said "You can't be serious kitsune, even the oaf isn't that stupid. That girl will be bound to you for as long as she lives in comparison to you with an expanded life."

Yusuke was shocked and said "Wait, hold it! So you're saying that the only way you can save the girl is to bind her to you? No Kurama, we can just find her soul or something. Heck, I can even give her some of my soul; just tell me what to do." Kurama merely sighed and said "If only it were that simple Yusuke. I'm the only one capable however; Hiei is unable to due to his conflicting energies besides having no trace of human blood, Kuwabara cannot from his extreme spiritual abilities –it might just overwhelm her senses-, Yukina cannot because for the same reason as Hiei, she has no human blood as well, and finally you are unable to because your strong heritage of demon blood might try to kill her. So thus I am the only candidate left for the job." Kurama reminded them as they looked thoughtfully at one another –with Hiei as an exception-. "Hey guys, something doesn't feel right… Something's happening to her… and her life force is fading really fast." Kuwabara reminded the group as he looked as pale as a sheet, it was almost as if he saw a ghost...

So Kurama hesitantly yet smoothly grabbed Kagome's wrist and placed it near his mouth as he sunk his fangs –which were duller than an average demon's due to his human body- right to the side of her vane and pulled back after the mark had been made. However, it was no where nearly as simple as that because the minute he let go he started to feel faint and dizzy and the next thing he knew he was out cold on the floor with someone screaming "Kurama, what's wro-"

* * *

_He wasn't exactly sure where he was but he knew for a fact that it most likely wasn't good. However a minute later everything began to clear up and he saw that he was in the hallway of the old house they were currently in… But, where was everyone else? 'No, I remembered blacking out; this must be a dream I will have to endure while my body is yet unconscious.' So as he was walking down the halls he heard some sort of distorted scream from inside the room they were in earlier so he ran over there and opened the door to see Kagome clearly confused, covered in blood, and screaming her head off as the look in her eye told him she was thoroughly as frightened as she could possibly be. However, a second after Kagome's screaming had started to fade and she appeared to lose her balance as she started to collapse onto the ground._

_"Kagome!" He screamed as he ran towards her, catching her right before she did fall, then shaking her as urgently as he could without doing any harm to her as her head lolled back and her eyes seemed dazed. Gently tapping her cheek his efforts had went in vain for she had already passed out in his arms._

_Slowly he looked around the room for any signs of her fright and saw none that seemed out the ordinary, everything seemed to be normal things a little girl would have from her stuffed animals to the dolls… So what might have frightened her so? 'However,' Kurama began, 'I still have yet to conclude as to what the rules are of this dream realm which I seem to share with Kagome most likely being the bond in effect...'_

* * *

"I swear, if pacifier breath set this whole thing up…" Yusuke trailed off in his threat, letting you complete the sentence before he let out a groan of disbelief. "There are too many god damn things happening within the last two days…" Stretching his hands over his head he yawned as he said "Dammit, we're going no where in our search... Let's go back to the room Kurama and the others are in." 

So as they were walking back up the stairs from outside of the chilling house where they were trying to find any objects which may hold one of the sibling's soul. Making their way up there and opening the door they were shocked to see that Kurama was awake -or rather half awake- and was trying to get up from his position on the floor. "Kurama!" They shouted as Kuwabara had hastily went up to him and helped him lean against the wall as he regained his energy.

Murmuring a quiet thank you to his friend and team mate he groaned as the side effects of being bonded became known. Not only was he feeling a fraction of the physical and mental pain happening to her but also for some reason felt as if his energy was drained from him. Turning his head to look at his companions he said "We have a problem. I believe whatever the problem may be it not only has taken their a large portion of their soul but is also attacking Kagome not only physically but mentally as well." At this Kurama received inquisitive faces staring back at him so he said in response "Due to the fact that I have bound her to me through the bond, I was thus able to see inside of her subconscious and there I found her not only screaming as loud as she could but covered in blood the same way she is now as well…"

Furrowing her eyebrows Yukina worriedly asked "Wait, so that means we are…helpless to assist her while she is dying?" Kuwabara merely hugged her response as she buried her head in his chest as she wept, never being one to stand seeing pain or suffering nonetheless death. However, even though it was a completely innocuous gesture and merely means to comfort her, Hiei couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of envy clawing at his insides at Kuwabara. He should be the one holding Yukina, the one to comfort her, **he **should be the one who she looks at with compassion in her eyes…

"So basically, she is dying from the inside out? Shit, how do we help her?" Yusuke asked, breaking the uncomforting noise of Yukina's tears. "Well," Slightly despondent vivid green eyes traveled from face to face of his teammates before saying, "we need to hurry and find their souls. It's the only way they will wake up, eliminating the threat of psychological suffering which will undoubtly cause just as much damage as physical… Literally…" Kurama stated as he looked at their forms lying motionlessly on the bed; Kagome's of course was so bloody that it was almost impossible to see the real color of her clothes.

However, as they discussed these new turn of events, they did not notice the gleaming pair of eyes that had unknowingly been in the room the whole time observing their every motion and expression...

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How was it? Good? Not bad? Terrible? Please review and if your confused (I know most must be) then ask me any question ok? I'll try answering them as long as they don't spoil the plot. 


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